Vice Minister Lee Gi-il of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 8th that "we will create a system that allows for giving birth without marriage."
On that day, the Vice Minister noted during a YTN Radio appearance that this is related to non-marital births.
The Vice Minister said, "Our country’s non-marital birth rate was 3.9%, and it slightly increased to 4.7% in 2023."
He also stated, "The average non-marital birth rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries was 41% as of 2022," adding, "In France, it is 65.2%, in Sweden it is 57.8%, in the United Kingdom it is 51.4%, and in the United States it is 39.8%, so ours is too low."
The Vice Minister remarked, "People in our country have children only if they are married," and added, "In that regard, the increase in marriage cases last year will likely boost the total fertility rate."
He further noted, "The low birthrate issue is not only a concern for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but also for the entire government, and indeed for our country as a whole," stating, "I think we should see an increase in non-marital births as well."
The Vice Minister also mentioned, "If there are those who want to give birth and raise children regardless of their marital status, we will create many supportive policies."